Several decades ago, non-alcoholic beer was created by basically boiling away the ethanol. Unfortunately, this had a tendency to destroy the flavors and aromas in the beer. In the last few years, new techniques have made it possible to produce craft beers that are free of alcohol. The newer processes use arrested fermentation or vacuum distillation. Other brewers use less grain than normal or low heat. Through the new techniques, breweries can create non-alcoholic beers with different flavors and aromas.
How Non-Alcoholic Beer Works
The first non-alcoholic beer appeared in the United States in 1919. It had to be made because of the new Prohibition laws. During this time period, alcohol was outlawed from the country. The government decided…show more content… Once the alcohol is distilled from the water, the remaining water and acids are returned to the syrup that sits on the opposing side of the filter. None of the main ingredients and flavors ever have to be heated in this process. Because of this, the resulting beer has a stronger, more natural flavor. This technique takes more equipment and labor hours, but it yields some of the best results.
The beer process is not over quite yet. Now, the non-alcoholic beer looks and tastes like normal beer. The only problem is that it is completely flat. Normally, alcoholic beer becomes carbonated as it ferments within the bottle. Yeast metabolizes sugar within the beer to create more alcohol. As a byproduct, carbon dioxide is made. It is the carbon dioxide that causes beer to be carbonated.
Non-alcoholic beers are different. The entire goal of the process is to prevent fermentation and to limit yeast. Because of this, a non-alcohol beer will not ferment and create bubbles once it is bottled. At most breweries, the brewer will inject carbon dioxide into the bottle, keg or can. This technique is similar to what soda manufacturers do to create carbonated